Seventy soldiers of the Oregon National Guard boarded buses and departed Fort Lewis at approximately 8:10 p.m. today to return home to Oregon after nearly a year tour of duty in Iraq.

They will arrive at Kliever Armory, 10000 NE 33rd Drive in Portland, between 10 and 11 p.m. Many families who've waited for more than a year to have their loved ones back from the deployment will be at the Kliever Armory to greet them.

The soldiers deployed under as Troop F, based out of Lebanon, though many are permanently attached to the artillery unit in Portland.